


A Shot in the Dark

by nowornever81



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-27 16:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15689127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowornever81/pseuds/nowornever81
Summary: Days after Tessa's last phone call, Mariah decides to take matters into her own hands.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all, thanks for reading! This is my first fic in a great while, so be gentle with comments! Happy to hear feedback though, I have a few chapters going, will post one at a time depending on if you feel like you'd like to read more. This Teriah drought has been killing me, so just a plot line that might help pass the time until we get more content. I tried to maintain the tone of soapy goodness, ha!

Mariah hadn’t heard from Tessa in over a week. She kept playing the last few conversations over and over in her head and it was driving her crazy.

“I’m coming back for you, soon. I promise.”

“I miss you.”

With each passing day, Mariah felt her emotions run rampant. From eager anticipation of Tessa’s return, to fear, now to an unwelcome sense of foreboding. She knew that Tessa was tough and capable, that she could and would fight for her and her sister. And that she would fight to get back to Genoa City. But what if she was in real danger? Mariah couldn’t just stand idly by and do nothing if the woman she loved most was in jeopardy. 

With everything happening with Sharon’s upcoming wedding, she thought that she could distract herself. But even a few glasses of wine every evening couldn’t shake the feeling that Tessa needed her. She knew what she had to do.

She went to Paul Williams’ office and caught him just as he was returning from lunch.

“Paul, hi- do you have a few minutes where we could talk in private?”

“Sure, Mariah, what can I do for you?”

“Um, well, I know that she would kill me for even being here and talking with you-  
But- I think Tessa’s in danger.”

“How do you know that? In what way?”

“It’s a long story, but you know her sister Crystal, and how she had to run after she shot and killed Zach. You know it was self-defense. But Tessa needed to find her sister after she went on the run, and I tried to convince her to bring her home, but I-  
I don’t really know what they’re doing or if they’re okay. She left town almost two weeks ago and I haven’t heard from her in over a week.”

“Mariah- you know that telling me this information could get you in some real trouble of your own. And from what you’re saying, it sounds like Tessa’s putting herself in the path of aiding and abetting a fugitive from the law.”

“I know, Paul, and that’s why it has been so hard to come talk to you and tell you this. I haven’t even told Sharon. But I’ve been going crazy with worry over the last week. The last time I talked to Tessa our phone call got cut off and I haven’t heard from her since. That’s not like her. I don’t care what kind of trouble that this conversation gets me or Tessa in, I just want to make sure that she’s safe. Can you help me?”

“Okay. But I’m not saying that if I get involved, that there might not be real legal consequences to what happens next. To you both.”

“I know, Paul. But I love Tessa enough to take that risk.”

“So, where was Tessa the last time you spoke?”

“All she said was that she was in Canada. When she left, she made me promise that I would disconnect our location sharing with each other so I wouldn’t come find her. But I didn’t. It’s still on, and I can see that she’s somewhere near the New York/Canada border.”

“Well, Mariah, if she’s in Canada, that’s truly out of my jurisdiction. But I do have some contacts who I can get in touch with to see if they can track her location with what you have.”

“Thank you so much Paul. But then what? I need to go to her.”

“Mariah, you really mustn’t do anything on your own. It’s not safe. If I hear anything from my contacts, then maybe we can put a plan together. I could go with you to New York to meet them if they can get to the border. But you know if they do cross that border back into the U.S., they will be back in my jurisdiction to arrest and prosecute them.”

“I know, Paul. But Crystal’s innocent, remember that. Zach was a monster ruining innocent girls’ lives. And Tessa is just trying to protect the only family that she thinks she has. But she’s my family now too, and I feel the same way. I need to be with her.”

 

After another week passed, Paul had a lead on Tessa and Crystal’s whereabouts, and it wasn’t exactly good news. Some associates of Zach’s were still running a sex trafficking ring based out of New York, and they were all too close for comfort to the girl’s location across the border. Paul wasn’t sure if they knew where they were, but he and Mariah did not want to take any more chances to let them stay in jeopardy. It was time to go get them.

Getting off the flight and into the rental car, Paul broke the palpable tension with Mariah.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Yes, the sooner we find them, the sooner we can make sure we keep them safe. Thank you so much for helping me, Paul.”

“Don’t thank me until we find them. Hopefully it won’t be too late.”

It seemed like they drove forever into the night. Under better circumstances, Mariah would have loved to take in the rolling hills and the countryside view. She thought about how much she would love to drive with Tessa down these same roads under the clear night sky. Looking at the stars reminded her of their first movie date. Their second kiss. How she felt finally getting everything that she had wanted for what seemed like forever. Then she tried to push out of her mind how their last kiss felt. Full of desperation and longing, rushed and flavored by the salty taste of their comingled tears. That wouldn’t be their true last kiss, she vowed silently to herself.

Finally, Paul and Mariah found their hideaway. Just a small, unassuming apartment complex just on the outskirts of the small town near the border. The property wasn’t gated or all that private however, and Mariah could feel that if Tessa and Crystal really were staying here, how vulnerable they might be. They parked around the back of the building, kept their lights turned off so as to not draw attention.

“I think that they’re in the apartment around the corner. Once we go to the door, please let me go first and make sure it’s clear of-“

But Mariah didn’t listen to the rest of what Paul had to say; she ran straight out of the car, around the corner and started knocking softly on the door of the apartment. After no answer, her knocks became more persistent and loud. Finally, Paul caught up with her and had his handgun ready if needed. 

“Mariah, I was trying to tell you to stay qui-“

Paul was interrupted as the door slowly cracked open and Tessa’s timid eye peeked past the chain. Mariah’s eyes locked with hers for the first time in what had seemed like years. Tessa flung open the door and Mariah leapt into her arms. She buried her head on her shoulder and held on for dear life.

“Mariah, how did you? When did you-” But Tessa’s questions were cut off by a fiery kiss from Mariah, her hands gripping the sides of her face with love, tenderness, but fierce protectiveness. Tessa was more than eager to deepen the kiss, which would have continued further if she had not become keenly aware that both Paul and her sister were both in the small front room of the apartment with them.

“Ahem,” Paul said awkwardly. “I’m very happy to see that you and Crystal are safe, Tessa. Mariah has been working very hard to make sure we found you.”

“We’re fine here, Paul. Thank you for bringing Mariah to me, but I have no intention of going anywhere with you, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I know you think you’ve hidden Crystal away perfectly, Tessa. But let me assure you that some of Zach’s cohorts are only about 20 miles away from here on the other side of the border. We took great lengths to make sure that they didn’t follow us here, but I think you’re more vulnerable here than you think. I think it would be best for you both to come back to GC with Mariah and I so we can sort this out.”

“Absolutely not, Paul. And Mariah- I told you before that I had thought of every scenario that might get us back home, and none of them were going to work!”

Mariah stopped Tessa’s further protestations by taking her hand softly. “Please can we just go talk for a minute? Just the two of us?”

Crystal sat Paul down at their uneven kitchen table and grabbed two Cokes from the fridge. “We’re fine here, Tessa. Go talk in the bedroom.”

Mariah and Tessa closed the bedroom door behind them and sat down on the small twin bed. Mariah laughed softly to herself that these were the first circumstances in which she and Tessa found themselves in a bedroom together. How ironic and unsatisfying, after all the fantasies Mariah had of what she would have done to Tessa the first time they shared a bed. Tessa snapped her out of her dream world by saying-

“I can’t believe you’re here, even though you knew it wasn’t safe. I’m sorry that I couldn’t call you back after our last conversation, I was just afraid that someone would be able to track my calls. I’m fine here, I promise, you can go back to GC without me.” Mariah stopped her by grabbing both her hands and holding them tightly with resolve.

“I can’t go back without you, I realize that now after you left that I can’t be without you. Please don’t be mad that I got Paul involved, I think he can help us and Crystal, at least keep you safe until we get back. I promise that I won’t let him put you or your sister in prison. Hell, even if he does, I’ll be right along side you, so that has to be some consolation, right?”

“I guess you have a point,” Tessa chuckled through her sniffles. “We don’t have much here, we can pack our bags and leave with you tonight, if you think that Paul really can protect us.”

“I know he can, but we can’t wait. We do have to leave now, who knows who may have followed us here, and the longer we stay here the more danger there is. For all of us.”

“Okay, let’s do it. But just one more thing-” Tessa stopped Mariah as she started to get up from the bed. She gently touched her cheekbone with the back of her hand and softly swept a lock of Mariah’s red locks behind her ear. “I have never loved you more than I do right now. When I left GC, I accepted that I would probably never see you again. And when I saw you in the doorway, you looked more beautiful than ever. Even more than at Halloween,” They both chuckled through tears. Tessa went on, “I wish we could just stay in this room, forever, and shut the world out. I’ve wanted to hold you for so long, my Mariah.”

Mariah sighed carefully, “I know, but the sooner we get back to Genoa City in one piece, the sooner you can make that a reality. Doesn’t that sound ‘insanely appealing’?”

“Yes, let’s go.” Tessa gave Mariah a swift, tender kiss, the jumped off the bed to grab her things from the room and shove them into the duffel bag. She and Mariah emerged from the bedroom with determination. Tessa took Crystal aside and reassured her that they would be fine as long as they were together, and that Paul would be a friend to them. Paul nodded that he would do his best to keep them out of jail. Crystal nodded timidly that she was ready.

Once they all made it to the car, they would just need to start driving. Things would get tricky after that if they were going to cross the border, but Paul was going to tell the patrol that Crystal and Tessa were in his custody. Everything was ready.

Paul led the three women around the corner to his waiting vehicle. He jumped into the driver’s seat to start the ignition, and Crystal and Tessa filed into the backseat, with Mariah right on their heels, ready to close the door behind them. She had just opened the front passenger door when Tessa heard a strange sound. A pop, similar to a firecracker that she and Crystal would let off in their old Chicago neighborhood during 4th of July weekend. But she and Crystal both grew up in the inner city neighborhoods of Chicago, and she knew the difference between that and what she just heard. It was a gunshot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments, keep them coming! Moving right along! Nobody freak out that I'm going to fall into the "bury your gays" trope, promise it will all work out :)

It was an odd juxtaposition of events happening simultaneously after the gunshot. Mariah felt peaceful, if not confused, as she found herself looking upwards again at the stars in the night sky. She could feel pain, but those endless stars were comforting in their persistent glow. She knew that she hadn’t made it into the car, and that she and Tessa weren’t on their way home. She wasn’t able to move or breathe, and the stars looked as if they were disappearing slowly in her field of vision.

At the same time around her, panic and violence ensued. Paul could see that the gunshot had come from an unmarked black sedan that had circled the parking lot. He jumped out of the driver’s seat and brandished his handgun towards the shot. More shots rang out in the darkness, but only the sound of screeching tires and the smell of burnt rubber followed. Mariah could hear the commotion, but it sounded like it was coming from miles away. The next thing she could see was Tessa leaning closely towards her. Her eyes were wide with terror.

“Oh my God, Mariah, what’s happened?” Tessa screamed, though she knew the answer to that question. “Hold on, I’ve got you.”

Paul ordered Crystal to stay in the car and ran around to the passenger side to meet Tessa and assess the damage. He gently rolled Mariah to her left side, and he and Tessa could see Mariah took a single shot to the back, a crimson stain growing on her right shoulder, growing darker and larger by the second. 

“Bastards,” he muttered bitterly under his breath. “Tessa, run to your bag and grab anything that we can use to put pressure on the wound.”

Tessa nodded instantly, looked Mariah directly in the eye and vowed, “I will be right back, love.” Mariah could only nod silently, almost imperceptibly.

Tessa was back almost immediately with one of her sweatshirts, and Mariah in her daze recognized it as one that she would wear around the ranch when she lived with her and Sharon. Right now she had to focus on those memories rather than the pain and fear that were both steadily growing. She could smell Tessa’s perfume on the shirt as she passed it to Paul, and he shoved it underneath her back. Mariah’s waning energy snapped back into consciousness when she could feel the pressure searing into her back. She couldn’t help but let out an agonizing groan.

Tessa reached out to grab Mariah’s hand and leaned into her ear, “I know it hurts, but it’s what we need to do to help you. Just keep holding on to me, I’m right here.” Mariah squeezed tighter in response, but couldn’t speak.

“What do we do now?” Tessa looked up into Paul’s eyes as they were both bent down over Mariah, and she was unable to mask her panic.

“We have to call an ambulance and get her to a hospital right now. We can’t get her into the car and take her ourselves, she wouldn’t survive the drive. I can stay with Mariah and you and Crystal can take the rental car and find a new place to hide. Those bastards I’m sure will come back here looking to finish the job.”

“I’m NOT leaving her. I don’t care anymore about what happens to me, just please promise me you will keep Crystal safe.” 

“Absolutely, let’s get her out of here.” Paul stood up and used his phone to call an ambulance, standing and waiting near them and the car, keeping his weapon drawn and scanning the parking lot for any return of danger. He ordered Crystal to stay in the backseat and out of sight in case the men returned, he wasn’t going to let her be the next one down. 

“Yeah, I need to report a shooting. I need an ambulance ASAP to Pine Woods Apartments, right off Highway 405. Female victim, about 30 years of age, single entry wound to the back, no exit. Please hurry.”

All of Tessa’s energy and focus was on Mariah at this point, now that she knew that Paul was going to look after Crystal. Waiting for the ambulance seemed to take hours, even though just a few minutes had passed. In the meantime, Tessa sat on the ground against the car and gingerly pulled Mariah into her lap so she could hold pressure against the gunshot wound and hopefully position her so she could keep breathing. She could feel the warm, wet, sticky feeling of blood soaking through her sweatshirt, but tried not to pay attention. She just needed to keep Mariah alive until help arrived.

She could see how much worse Mariah was struggling with each second that they all had to wait. Her usually pale complexion was now ghostly white, and her eyes were glassy and unfocused. A slight sheen of sweat had built up on her face and was now mixed with tears that Mariah couldn’t help let escape as she tried to speak to Tessa. She was trembling when she said,

“I’m so-sorry Tessa, I was so…selfish.”

“Mariah, what? Are you kidding? What are you talking about?”

“I wanted to bring you home…with me…so badly. Now everything is ruined. For you and Crystal.”

Tessa held her hand against Mariah’s face and wiped away a tear. “You didn’t ruin anything, Mariah. We are together now, we’re going home soon, you’ll see.”

Mariah sighed shakily, with the tone of resignation. “No, we’re not.” She felt her chest grow heavier, like she was sinking further and further underwater as she tried to take each breath. Tessa could tell that she was failing.

“Hey, NO. That’s the last time I’m going to hear you talk like that. You shouldn’t be talking at all, please just keep breathing and looking in my eyes. Do you see how much I love you? Just look at me and think of what our lives will be like when we get back to GC together. We still have to go on our third date, though I feel like tonight counts as 100 dates, don’t you? What about the next music festival, or our next movie night at the ranch? We have so much ahead of us, Mariah, our whole lives together. Please, please, don’t go.” By the time Tessa finished rambling, she could hear the sirens faintly in the distance.

Tessa wiped her eyes of the tears that she swore she wouldn’t shed as she was determined to stay strong for Mariah. She wiped away Mariah’s tears as the paramedics pulled into the parking lot. Mariah locked eyes with Tessa, and mouthed “Love. You.” as Tessa placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

One of the paramedics jumped out of the ambulance and ran to their aid. He roughly said, “We’ll take it from here,” and moved Mariah urgently off of Tessa’s lap. 

Tessa felt as if she was barely able to stand herself up, her legs felt like lead. Her hands and her jeans were soaked in Mariah’s blood, which made her knees almost buckle. She leaned against the car as she watched the paramedics lift Mariah onto a stretcher, starting oxygen, taking her vitals, and finally loading her into the ambulance. The taillights were blinding, forcing Tessa to squint and look upwards. She felt Paul softly touch her arm and say “Let’s follow them to the hospital.” Tessa opened her eyes towards the night sky and looked back into the stars, just like Mariah had.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and hanging in! Getting closer to having Teriah back on our screens, but why not continue the angst temporarily? Appreciate your comments and feedback, hope you enjoy!

The waiting room of the ICU thankfully had a window. Tessa stared blankly outward, the harsh glare from the glass casting her own reflection into view. She could see her clothes, Mariah’s blood now dried and caked on them, and it caused her to shudder. She sat down on the faded green couch, the cushions unforgiving and stiff under her, and buried her face in her hands. She kept playing the image of Mariah being shot in the back over and over, the way her body twisted and hit the ground with a sickening thud, how her eyes looked searchingly into hers for comfort before they were torn apart by the paramedics.

The emergency room had been a complete blur; Tessa could barely remember how she even made it up to the ICU waiting room. She could only see flashes of metal instruments, equipment on wheels being rushed behind the curtain, and a splash of blood next to the gurney that carried Mariah. No one had let her see Mariah before she was rushed into surgery, they just informed her where she could wait. She had no idea how many hours had passed without an update.

She felt a weight next to her on the couch, Paul bringing a cup of stale coffee.

“Any news?”

“None. Where’s Crystal?”

“I dropped her off with my contacts here. She needs to stay in hiding under protection, especially after what happened with Mariah. Zach’s men are still out there, and now we know what they’re capable of.”

Tessa sighed bitterly. “This should never have happened. How do I keep finding ways to ruin every single good thing to happen to me in my life?”

Paul was stoic, but reassuring. “Hey, it’s not your fault. Mariah loves you. She came to me and was determined to find you even if you didn’t want to be found.”

“But that’s just it, Paul!” Tessa started to unravel. “If Mariah and I had never fallen in love, she wouldn’t have even had a reason to come find me and put herself in the path of a bullet. I wish it had been me instead. Or that I had never taken another chance to be with her.”

At that moment, the surgeon found Tessa and Paul in the waiting room and interrupted them.

“Family of Mariah Copeland?” 

Family, Tessa thought to herself. She is Mariah’s family, more than ever right now while she was here in Canada, miles from her mother and siblings. She needed to pull herself together and be strong for her, regardless of what she was about to hear from the surgeon.

Paul spoke up first, “Yes, we are Mariah’s family. How is she? Please tell us that she’s alive.”

The surgeon looked exhausted but rather impressed with himself. “Yes, absolutely, Ms. Copeland is alive. She did suffer some significant damage from the gunshot, particularly because there was no exit wound. It initially fractured her scapula, caused a hemothorax, and came to rest dangerously close to her spine and aorta. About a millimeter further and she would have bled to death in the ambulance. But she came through surgery beautifully, not too much further blood loss, and her vitals stayed stable throughout. I think what the biggest concern might be is some damage to the nerves leaving the spinal cord. With all the surrounding trauma, it was difficult to determine if those nerves have been severed.”

“What does that mean, doctor?” Tessa asked, barely above a whisper.

“She might experience some minor paralysis or muscle weakness as she recovers. We won’t know for sure until she wakes up. She didn’t experience any head trauma, so she should wake up a few hours after we wean her off the sedation from the surgery. I think we need to let her collapsed lung heal for at least 24-48 hours before we lessen the sedation, but after that, we’ll know what we’re dealing with.”

“Thank you so much, doctor. Can I see her?”

“Absolutely, but only one visitor at a time. And she still needs to be settled into her room after she returns from recovery, but a nurse will come find you when she’s ready.”

Paul wrapped his arm around Tessa’s shoulders and gave a comforting squeeze as he shook the physician’s hand. “See, she’s going to be okay. Let me go call my colleague and check on Crystal for you.”

She’s alive. But what if she’s paralyzed? Tessa turned to face the window again, this time she could see the stars and she said a prayer. Probably the first one since she was a little girl, praying with Crystal to keep them safe when their father came home drunk. She wasn’t really praying, but more like bargaining with God. That’s what Tessa had always done best.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teriah will be back on our screens soon, let me see if I can finish this fic up before we get real content! Thanks again for kudos and comments, it's been fun writing again in such a long time!

“I would die if anything happens to you.”

Tessa snapped awake on the green couch, for a second forgetting that she was at the hospital and was confused by her surroundings. She realized that she had been dreaming of what she had said to Mariah in her car before she left town. Her biggest nightmare was coming true. Mariah had almost died coming to save her. But she had to remind herself of the “almost” part. She stood up and stretched her legs, achy and cramped from curling up on that unforgiving furniture. She made her way to the nurses’ station of the ICU.

“Excuse me, are there any updates on Mariah Copeland?”

A stern nurse looked up at Tessa’s face, streaked with tears and exhaustion, and her eyes slightly softened. 

“Yes, she’s in room 1084, I can take you in now. But be prepared, she’s still heavily sedated. Are you ready?”

Tessa timidly nodded, and inhaled sharply to gain resolve. The nurse brought her down the hall to the glass-doored cubicle, which was dimly lit only by the glow of all the equipment surrounding Mariah’s bed. She was definitely herself, and seemingly so alive, her fiery red hair draped over her pillow, still in those beachy waves that Tessa loved running her fingers through. But Tessa couldn’t help but be afraid to reach out and touch her. She seemed so broken. The nurse could sense her apprehension, and led her to a chair next to the left side of Mariah’s bed.

“You can hold her hand, dear. Just be careful of the few IVs she has. This one is for fluids and this one is to help fight off infection. And she’s got a chest tube on her right side, don’t be alarmed.”

“She’s not breathing on her own yet?,” Tessa asked quietly with a tone of defeat.

“No, probably not until tomorrow when the doctors can check how that right lung is recovering. But don’t worry too much, you can hear how strong her heart is beating, can’t you?”

The nurse was right. Tessa hadn’t paid any attention to the slow, steady rhythm of Tessa’s heart beating on the monitor. It comforted her in its persistence, reminded her of Mariah’s grit and almost cheeky defiance of her circumstances in the dark room. It encouraged her enough to reach out and grab Mariah’s hand, the warmth and softness just as she remembered as when she reached for her hand at Crimson Lights on their first real date. She squeezed gently to let her know that she was there, but no response. Tessa laid her head on the bed, counting the beats until she fell asleep. The nurse draped a blanket around her shoulders, and opened the curtains of the room to let in the light of the night sky before leaving Mariah and Tessa together, bathed in moonlight.


End file.
